This invention relates to the art of automatic drilling and riveting machines, and more particularly to a new and improved automatic drilling and riveting machine for operation on major subassemblies.
One area of use of the present invention is in automatic drilling and riveting of vertically disposed workpieces, although the principles of the present invention can be variously applied. An example of such a workpiece is a contoured wing panel rigidly held vertically in a fixture wherein a series of closely-spaced, horizontally disposed stringers are to be riveted to the wing panel. Because of the large size and weight of such major subassemblies, it is desirable to provide an automatic drilling and riveting machine which moves along a stationary workpiece while operating thereon. In the design of such a machine, an important consideration is providing controlled movement of the drilling and riveting tools in a significant number of directions. Another important consideration is providing an arrangement for supporting the vertically disposed workpiece in a manner which does not interfere with movement and operation of the drilling and riveting machine. In addition, it would be highly desirable to provide a simple yet effective arrangement for transferring the machine between a series of such vertically disposed workpieces for operation thereon.